| eat & drink | Taste
Captain Cooks TO P C O O KI NG T I P S + FO O L PRO OF R E C IPE S by MEGAN WISKUS
Cooking, for many, is cathartic. No matter your comfort level in the kitchen, we have some tips and tricks to ensure every meal you make is mouthwatering. TASTE YOUR FOOD AS YOU GO. Ingredients vary in flavor depending on the season, ripeness, or (if not fresh) brand. Tasting your food as you go ensures you can adjust for all these variables every time.
LEARN THE “WHY”. We often get tripped up by thinking that if we’re missing an ingredient for a recipe, we can’t move forward, which is almost never the case! Learning why an ingredient is there and what it’s adding (sweet, salty, umami, leavening) can open you up to a world of substitutions (like when making chimichurri). When in doubt? Ask the Internet! —Megan Kessenich, Making (M)eggs, Auburn, makingmeggs.com, @makingmeggs
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| AUGUST 2021 |
Chimichurri 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1 bunch) 1 cup fresh cilantro (about 1 bunch) 1/2 cup red onion, diced (sub: 1 shallot) 3 tbsp. fresh oregano (sub: leave out) 3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled 2 tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice (sub: orange juice with an extra splash of vinegar) 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar (sub: champagne or apple cider vinegar) ¼ tsp. salt (or more to taste) ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 jalapeño, stems and seeds removed to reduce spice, as desired (sub: red pepper flake or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce) 1/2-3/4 cup high-quality olive oil
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Add all ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor; pulse a few times until chopped. Slowly stream in the olive oil, while pulsing the mixture a few more times until the olive oil is combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor if needed. Add olive oil until sauce reaches desired consistency. Serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Wondering what to do with leftover chimichurri sauce? Get creative! Try stirring it into soups, pasta dishes, dolloped on top of a baked potato, or over your morning eggs to add a bright, fresh, and flavorful punch.
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DON’T BE AFRAID OF HIGH HEAT. Seems obvious but so much flavor comes from searing and sautéing at those high temperatures. You may have been burned in the past by high heat, but with the right cookware for the task at hand, those high temperatures are the key to building flavor without overcooking your ingredients.
